Centralized management of maintenance and materials for commercial aircraft fleets

ABSTRACT

Turnkey maintenance of a customer&#39;s aircraft fleet is managed by a single management service provider (MSP) controlling integrated maintenance and materials services from a central operations site. The MSP converts data received directly from on-board aircraft systems into information it uses to manage maintenance service providers and parts suppliers. The MSP contracts with and manages maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations (MROs) who perform the maintenance on the customers&#39; aircraft at line and base stations. The MSP either remotely manages part inventories at the customer&#39;s site, or manages suppliers who deliver the parts to the MROs. Maintenance planning, scheduling and execution information is exchanged between the MSP, MROs, part suppliers and the customers through a shared data communication network controlled by the MSP. The MSP charges the customer for the maintenance services based on a flat rate per unit of aircraft flying time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to maintenance of commercial fleetvehicles, especially aircraft, and deals more particularly with acentrally managed, integrated maintenance and materials managementservice providing turnkey maintenance for multiple fleets of aircraft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Maintenance of commercial aircraft fleets requires the coordination ofmultiple service and information providers, as well as part suppliers.Line and base maintenance operations required to support aircraft flightreadiness require up-to-date service manuals, maintenance repairrecords, engineering drawings, trained personnel, specialized tools,facilities, parts and an array of other resources. The logisticsrequired for deploying, warehousing and maintaining inventories ofrepair parts at multiple service locations is also complicated, sinceparts must be procured from multiple suppliers as well the OEM aircraftmanufacturers. Supply chain management and coordination of serviceproviders is made more challenging where fleet aircraft serve widegeographic areas, making centralized service and inventory control bythe airline operators impractical.

While some minor maintenance, e.g. line maintenance, is performed bycertain airline operators, most operators either perform their ownextensive maintenance (typically performed at base maintenancefacilities) or outsource their maintenance by contracting with MROs(maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations). The airline operatorsnevertheless remain largely responsible for managing the material supplychain, performing service operations, coordinating ground serviceequipment, and managing information flow, including compliance withregulatory and maintenance certification requirements such as AirWorthiness Directives (ADs). Consequently, multiple commercial airlinesmust dedicate identical resources for maintaining the internalinfrastructure and personnel needed to manage the various service andmaterial management activities outlined above.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a centralized, integratedmaintenance and materials management system, which overcomes thedeficiencies of the prior art discussed above. The present invention isdirected toward satisfying this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method is providedmanaging maintenance of commercial fleet aircraft for multiple airlineoperator customers. The method comprises collecting data from aircraftin each of the fleets related to the operation of the aircraft;transmitting the data from each aircraft to an operations center;converting the data into maintenance information useful in managingmaintenance for the aircraft; and, planning and scheduling maintenancefor the aircraft in the fleets from the operations center using themaintenance information. The data used to generate the maintenanceinformation includes faults that have occurred on the aircraft, thecurrent as-flying configuration of the aircraft, the fight hours andcycles of the aircraft and other information relating to the health ormaintenance status of the aircraft. The maintenance is performed by MROswho received maintenance planning and scheduling directives from theoperations center. The MROs, part suppliers and the customers shareinformation through a common data network.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is providedfor managing maintenance of fleet vehicles for multiple customers. Themethod comprises the steps of: collecting data related to the operationof the vehicles; converting the collected data into maintenanceinformation useful in managing maintenance for the vehicles; accessingthe maintenance information at a central operations center; and,managing a plurality of vehicle maintenance providers from theoperations center using the maintenance information.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a method isprovided for centrally managing the maintenance of commercial fleetaircraft for airline operator customers. The method comprises the stepsof: contracting with a plurality of maintenance, repair and overhaulorganizations (MROs) to provide maintenance service for the aircraft;contracting with a plurality of part suppliers to provide parts requiredfor supporting the maintenance provided by the MROs; collecting andstoring maintenance information useful in managing the maintenance;accessing the maintenance information at a central operations center;managing the MROs and the part suppliers from the central operationscenter using the accessed information accessed.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a system isprovided for managing maintenance of commercial aircraft fleets,comprising: an on-board aircraft system for collecting data relating tothe operational status of the aircraft and wirelessly transmitting thedata to the ground; a central operations center for receiving andconverting the data into information useful for managing the maintenanceof the aircraft, and for managing each of a plurality of maintenanceservice providers; and, a shared communications network connecting theoperations center with the customers and the maintenance serviceproviders.

One important advantage of the invention is that the overall costs offleet aircraft maintenance is reduced because maintenance and materialsfor multiple fleets is integrated under the management of single,centralized management service provider, thus eliminating or reducingthe need for each airline operator to maintain the personnel andinfrastructure normally needed to manage maintenance service andmaterial providers. Another advantage of the invention resides in realtime information sharing between the centralized maintenance serviceprovider, part suppliers MROs and the customers. Integration ofmaintenance and materials management under a single service provider ata single operations center results in reduced administrative costs,minimizes re-authoring of technical procedures and lowers life-cycleinvestments. Additionally, the invention improves aircraft reliabilityand availability while providing better alignment between design,support and service of the aircraft.

Various additional objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention can be more fully appreciated with reference to the detaileddescription and accompanying drawings that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the prior art system for managingmaintenance and materials for a fleet of aircraft.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the organization of an integratedmaintenance and materials management system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the primary functional elements of thesystem shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional elements of theintegrated materials management and the maintenance services in relationto a central operations center.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the organizational relationshipbetween the aircraft owners/operator, MROs, parts suppliers and thecentral operations center.

FIG. 6 is a combined block and diagrammatic view showing additionaldetails of the integrated materials management and maintenance system,including aircraft on-board systems, and depicting the transformation ofdata into information, and the sharing of this information between theMSP, the suppliers and the MROs.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the flow of data and information inthe integrated materials management and maintenance system.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing how aircraft configuration data isgathered and used in the integrated materials management system.

FIG. 9 is a combined block and diagrammatic view showing how on-boardaircraft data is gathered and stored as centralized information.

FIG. 10 is a combined block and diagrammatic view showing how thestored, centralized information is used to provide integratedmaintenance and materials services.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing how the flow of parts is trackedin a centralized, common data base.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing how customer pricing is establishedfor the integrated maintenance and material services.

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view useful in understanding the integratedmaterials management system of the present invention, showing therelationship between material suppliers, the materials supply integratorand the customers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the prior art arrangement for managing maintenance andmaterials for a fleet of aircraft. Aircraft in a fleet controlled byowners or operators 30 receive maintenance and repair parts from varioussources, primarily under the management and control of the airlineoperators 30. The airline operators 30 perform their own maintenance orcontract with maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations (MROs) 32who provide major maintenance services at so-called base maintenancelocations, however in some cases the MROs 32 may also provide minormaintenance services at so-called line maintenance locations orfacilities. The aircraft OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) 34provide OEM parts to airlines and the MROs 32 which are maintained inthe MRO's inventory 42.

The MROs 32 also maintain an inventory 42 of parts which they procuredirectly from part suppliers 36. Tooling, ground support equipment (GSE)and facilities 40 are procured by both the airline operators 30 and theMROs 32. Similarly, technical manuals and training 38 are obtained byboth the airline operators 30 and MROs 32 from the aircraft OEM 34 andthe suppliers 36. Thus, it may be appreciated that the current systemfor providing maintenance services and related materials to the airlineoperators 30 is highly decentralized, relies on complex logistics andrequires each airline operator to maintain infrastructure and dedicatedpersonnel to manage both internal and external maintenance services andthe material supply chain.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 which shows how maintenance service andmaterial providers are realigned in a centrally managed, integratedmaintenance and materials service (IMMS) system 44. The IMMS 44 ismanaged by a single management service provider (MSP), sometimes alsoreferred to herein as an integrator, which may be, for example, theaircraft OEM 34. As will be discussed later in more detail, the MSP hasresponsibility for managing the MROs 32 and suppliers 36, as well asmanaging the necessary manuals, training 38, tooling, GSE and facilities40 and parts inventory 42. The MSP provides the IMMS to each of theairline operators 30, essentially as a turn-key service, relieving theairline operators 30 of the need for managing MROs, parts inventory,etc. Optionally, the MSP may provide the airline operators 30 with onlycentrally managed maintenance, or centrally managed, integratedmaterials management (IMM).

FIG. 3 shows the overall functional relationship between the MROs, partssuppliers, customers and central management of maintenance functionsprovided by the MSP. The MSP controls a central IMMS operations center46. The operations center 46 receives various kinds of data fromaircraft onboard systems 48, and converts this data into centrallystored information which is used in the management of the IMMS. As willbe discussed later in more detail, this onboard systems data may includefor example, flight log records, data from a flight record recorder,aircraft health management and aircraft configuration information.Information is exchanged between the operations center 46 and theairline customers 30. For example, information is obtained from theairline operators 30 relating to performance of the aircraft, departureand arrival information, reliability data, etc. The information from theon-board systems 48 and the airline operators 30 is used for a varietyof purposes at the operation center 46, including scheduling andordering of parts, scheduling and ordering of maintenance operations anddetermining aircraft utilization that is converted into the pricecharged to the airline operators 30 for the services rendered by theMSP.

Information is exchanged between the MROs 32 and the operation center 46which facilitates scheduling and coordination of base and/or linemaintenance for the customer's aircraft. Finally, information isexchanged between the operation center 46 and the part suppliers 36 whoare managed directly under the IMMS system by the MSP.

Referring now to FIG. 4, integrated material management 62 andmaintenance services 64 are controlled and managed by the centraloperations center 46 using information about the aircraft obtained fromon-board data gathering systems which will be discussed later in moredetail. The central operations center 46 may provide an airline operatorcustomer with either maintenance services 64 or the IMM service 62, orboth. As used herein, integrated maintenance and material services orIMMS means a service program provided to a customer that combines andintegrates both maintenance services 64 and the IMM 62.

As will be discussed later in more detail, IMM 62 includes management bythe MSP of OEM parts 66, supplier parts 72, parts inventory management68, management of parts/logistics 74, warranty management 70 and sparepart provisioning 76.

The maintenance services 64 include line maintenance 78, basemaintenance 80, management of tooling, ground support equipment andfacilities 82, maintenance planning 84, management of reliabilityprograms 86, and maintenance engineering 88.

In the case where the MSP provides the airline operator customer 30 withonly IMM as a standard service, the MSP assumes responsibility forprocuring the parts, which the MSP then deploys to the airline operator30 or to the MROs 32. The aircraft OEM 34 retains ownership (legaltitle) of the parts, but the customer 30 takes responsibility forwarehousing the parts inventory. As will be later discussed, a server ismaintained onsite at the parts warehouse which is networked with theoperations center 46.

When the customer 30 removes a part from the warehouse for use inservicing an aircraft, the removal of the part from inventory iselectronically communicated through the onsite warehouse server to theoperation center 46, thus allowing the MSP to maintain real time recordsof the part inventory at the customer's warehouse. This real timeinformation is used by the MSP to allow timely reordering of replacementparts, and just-in-time delivery to the customer's warehouse in order tomaintain part inventories at optimum levels. When the operation center46 receives notice that the customer has removed a part from thewarehouse inventory, ownership immediately passes to the customer 30 andthe customer is invoiced for the part. This business model allows theMSP to accumulate historical information concerning the type and numberof parts used by the customer 30 at multiple warehouse locations, whichaids the MSP in efficiently managing part inventory levels and thelogistics of part delivery. Moreover, this accumulated informationconcerning the parts used by the customer aids the MSP in providing datato pricing model used to charge the customer for the services providedby the MSP.

The IMM program described above allows the aircraft OEM 34 to purchaseparts based on the customer's forecasted consumption. As a result, it isgenerally necessary to carry lower levels of inventory, and fewer partsare required to be written off to obsolescence. Moreover, the IMM partsmanagement program facilitates balancing and pooling of part inventoriesat differing customer warehouse locations.

In contrast to the IMM program utilized as a stand alone service, themanagement and deployment of parts is handled in a different manner whenthe MSP provides the customer 30 with IMMS, as will be discussed belowin more detail. Briefly, the customer is not required to warehouse mostparts under the IMMS program since the parts sourced either from the OEM34 or suppliers 36 are supplied directly to MROs 32 in connection withthe maintenance provided by the MROs 32.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 5 which shows in greater detail howIMMS provided to customers is managed by the MSP using a centraloperations center 46. The MSP contracts with and manages MROs 32 whoprovide onsite line maintenance 92, generally at locations where thecustomers 30 fly. The MROs 32 also provide the customers with basemaintenance, coordinated by the central operations center 46. Ininstances where unplanned maintenance is required, based on on-boardsystems, the operations center acts as a global integrator of the parts,engineering, services and maintenance tasks to perform the necessarywork to remedy the fault. In IMMS, however, the operation center 46manages the entire materials supply chain, ordering parts directly fromthe OEM 96, network suppliers 98 and various other suppliers 36, andarrange for their delivery to the MROs 32.

In one possible business model, the MSP pays the suppliers 36 based onaircraft flight hours, or where the parts involve expendables, thecharges are based on consumption. The operations center 46 managesdeployment of the parts either directly to the customers 30 (wheremaintenance service is not provided by the MSP), or to the MROs 32(where IMMS is provided) . In either event, the MSP provides up to 100%of the customers part requirements which are managed by the MSP untilthe exchanged part is installed on the aircraft. Under IMMS, the MSPprovides a guaranteed level of service to the customers 30, and as canbe appreciated from FIG. 5, the operations center 46 managed by the MSPacts as a single point of management and invoicing for the entirematerials supply chain.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 which shows details of the architectureof the IMMS program for aircraft fleets. Broadly, a number of onboarddata gathering systems 48 gather and download aircraft data through, forexample, wireless links, broadband, narrowband or other suitablecommunications systems to the operations center 46 where the data isconverted to information that is stored and used to manage the IMMSprogram. It is also possible to download the data through hardcommunication connections when the aircraft is on the ground. In thepreferred embodiment, MROs 32, airline operators 30 and suppliers 36 areconnected to the operation center 46 through a suitable communicationlink, such as for example, an internet web portal 100.

The onboard data systems 50 include a variety of devices and recordmanagement systems interconnected through an onboard data bus 48. A corenetwork of applications connected with bus 48 includes, for exampleelectronic log book records 144, which is an electronic flight bagapplication 142, as flying configuration records 140, an onboard asflying configuration application 138 and an onboard health managementfunction application 136. The electronic flight bag application 142provides the aircraft pilot with electronic charts, aircraft performancecalculations, electronic documents, fault finders and electronic checklists. The electronic log book record 144 includes information relatedto aircraft faults that have been recorded onboard, or entered manuallyby the crew or aircraft personnel. The as flying configurationapplication 138 and AFC records 140 provide information concerning thecurrent configuration of the aircraft. The onboard health managementfunction 136 comprises aircraft system monitoring functions that relay,in real time, the current status of the aircraft systems which can beused to make repairs after the aircraft lands. Line replaceable units(LRU) 153 as well as RFID tags 148 provide information concerning otheronboard components used to determine the as-flying configuration of theaircraft.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/173,806 [Attorney Docket No.04-1156] filed 30 Jun. 2005 entitled “Integrated Device forConfiguration Management”, (Inventors Marc R. Matsen et al), shows howRFID tags may be used to track aircraft configuration is incorporated byreference for all purposes. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/718,884[Attorney Docket No. 01-1030] entitled,“RFID Tags on Aircraft Parts”,filed 20 Sep. 2005 by (Inventor: Michael C. Muma) and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/973,856 [Attorney Docket No. 03-1371] entitled:“Reducing Electromagnetic interference in Radio Frequency IdentificationApplications”, filed 25 Oct. 2004 by (Inventor Kenneth D. Porad) alsoshow use of RFID technology useful to implementing the present inventionand are incorporated herein for all purposes.

The data provided by the onboard systems 50 is wirelessly communicatedby any of a variety of communication links including a satellite 122forming part of SATCOM 132, a proprietary wireless internet connectionsuch as Connexion_(sm) 130 provided by the Boeing Company, wireless link128 and associated terminal wireless infrastructure 120, aircraftcommunication addressing and reporting systems (ACARS) 126 as well ascabin wireless networks 124 which communicate to the operation center 46through interface devices 116 typically used by aircraft mechanics.Systems suitable for use in wirelessly transmitting the data aredisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. US 2005/0026609 A1published Feb. 3, 2005, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0003872 A1, published Jan. 2, 2003, the entire contents of both ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein.

Additional onboard systems suitable for use with the present inventionare disclosed in copending applications: U.S. patent application Ser.No: 10/976,662 entitled: “Wireless Airport Maintenance Access Point”filed 27 Oct. 2004 [Attorney Docket No. 04-0691] to Allen and Mitchell;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/191,645 entitled “AirborneElectronic Logbook Instances and Ground Based Data System”, filed 28Jul. 2005 to Yukama et al. [Attorney Docket No. 04-1202], U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/176,831, entitled “Distributed Data LoadManagement System Using Wireless Satellite or ACARS”, filed 07 Jul. 2005to David L. Allen et al. [Attorney Docket No. 04-1203]; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/199,399 entitled: “Methods for Fault DataTransfer from Airplane Central Maintenance Systems to Electronic FlightBag Systems and Electronic Logbook (ELB) Application”, filed 08 Aug.2005 to Yukama et al each of which is incorporated by reference.

Wireless link 128 is a system that utilizes wireless local area networktechnology to transmit data throughout an airport environment enablinginstant sharing of data between aircraft, passenger terminals,maintenance operations, etc. In one possible embodiment of theinvention, onboard data is uploaded to a server site 146 which includesan ELB server 112 and an AHM server 114 that are in turn connected in anetwork with a central maintenance and engineering management (MEM)server 108 at the operations center 46. Also included at the operationscenter 46 is an in-service data program server (ISDP) 110 as well as anIMM server 118, both of which servers are connected by a network to theMEM server 108. A supplier management terminal 106 connected with server108 allows communication with suppliers, while a finance businessmanagement terminal 104 connected with server 108 allows management offinancial issues. The IMM server 118 is connected to the MROs 32 andoperators 30 via the web portal 100, and is connected with the suppliers36 via the onsite IMM site server 102.

FIG. 7 shows, in block diagram form, the flow of information and databetween the onboard systems 50, MEM server 108, the suppliers 36 and theMROs 32. In one possible embodiment, all faults registered by the OHMF136 are logged in the ELB 144, filtered and delivered to a ground basedserver which collects these faults, as well as unfiltered faultsdirectly from the OHMF 136. The ground based server site 146communicates with the MEM server 108. Other techniques are possible fordelivering the faults to the server 108. Both IMMS and non-IMMS airlinemaintenance history is provided to an in-service data program server(ISDP) 110 which also exchanges information with the IMM server 118.

A maintenance performance tool box (MPT) 150 exchanges information withserver 108 and the server site 146. The MPT uses intelligent documentsand visual navigation methods to assist technical operations staff totroubleshoot aircraft systems and manage structural repair records,parts and task cards. The MPT 150 provides 3D models for recording,reviewing and analyzing structural repairs, making use of accumulatedrepair knowledge and maintaining records of repair activities for one ormore aircraft. The MPT 150 also acts as the repository for historicalmaintenance records for each aircraft which are required to bemaintained by regulatory authorities. The central MEM 108 uses the datait receives to diagnose on board problems and form a prognosis for thoseproblems. As can be more easily seen in FIG. 7, the customers 30 haveaccess to an array of information and tools resident in the operationscenter 46 using the World Wide Web 100 to access the portal 100.

One part of the IMMS system resides in the ability to determine thecurrent configuration of aircraft, since parts and functional units areadded, replaced or deleted on a routine basis. As shown in FIG. 8, theMEM server 108 maintains a record of the current as-flying configurationwhich is used to manage both maintenance and materials for the aircraft.The as-delivered configuration data 154 is provided to the server 108which defines the configuration of the aircraft as initially deliveredto the customer. Information concerning the allowable configuration 156of the aircraft is also stored in server 108. Part on/off transactionsderived from a variety of information sources 158 are provided to theserver 108 and these transactions as well as the as-flying configurationare delivered to the IMM server 118 to be used in the management ofmaterials. The part on/off transactions are recorded by devices such asthe electronic log book, line events, RFID tags, LRUs, and hangarevents, as shown at 158.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 9 which shows in more detail theorganization of information stored at the operations center 46 based ondata derived from on-board applications and systems 48. The AHM server114 stores recorded faults, airplane health status, fault forwardinginformation and predicted maintenance information, while the ELB server112 stores maintenance history, flight information in terms of theflight number hours and cycles of the aircraft, write-ups by the pilotsand maintenance action sign offs.

The MEM server 108 stores part information, information concerningstructural repairs, current detailed specific information and allowableconfiguration information relating to the aircraft. The IMM site server102 stores inventory and material data, stocking location information,part quantity information, forecasting information, planning informationand transaction information. Finally, the ISDP server 110 storesin-service data warehouse information and component maintenance data aswell as shop findings. Servers 102, 108, 110, 112, and 114 are connectedin a common network or through the Internet so that all of the storeddata can be transmitted and shared in real time by the servers and usedby the MSP to manage the IMMS system. Other forms of information storagedevices and communications links between them are also possible.

The information collectively stored in servers 102, 108, 110, 112, and114 is organized to form a centralized maintenance informationtechnology system 160, although these servers need not be in the samephysical location. Electronic storage devices other than servers may beutilized. This information is arranged to facilitate management ofvarious functions required by the IMMS system, including configurationand records management 162, reliability analysis 164, line/basemaintenance execution 166, line/base maintenance planning 168 andmaintenance control data 170.

As shown in FIG. 10, the information system 160 is used by theoperations center 46 and central MEM server 108 to manage IMMS functionsshown at 172, including line maintenance, MRO maintenance andengineering support and base maintenance. The configuration and recordsmanagement information 162 is used to provide a variety of reports shownat 174 which may include AD (Air Worthiness Directive) compliance, majorrepairs, maintenance history, component tear down, allowableconfigurations and as flown configurations.

The reliability analysis information 164 is used to produce reportsshown at 176, including chronic system reports, chronic componentreports, cancellation and delay information, engine condition monitoringand IFSD (In Flight Shutdown) . The line/base maintenance executioninformation 166 is utilized to produce maintenance control data shown at178 which may include flight schedules, dispatch items, deferrals, AOG's(aircraft-on-ground) and diversions. The line/base maintenance planninginformation 166 is used to produce a variety of maintenance planningreports, including maintenance forecasts, station/facilities scheduling,coordination of maintenance, and maintenance visit packages (task cardsand parts). The maintenance control data information 170 is used toexecute maintenance as shown at 182 which includes accomplishment andsign off of all the signed maintenance tasks and receiving andprocessing log book data.

The information collected by the on-board systems 50 and transmitted tothe operations center 46, as well as the related maintenance reportsgenerated at the operations center 46, are provided to the MROs 32 whouse this data and information to improve the quality of the maintenancethey provide to the customers 30. For example, the MROs may use theinformation to improve the scheduling of maintenance facilities orordering parts and materials. The MROs can also use the data to betterpredict the type of maintenance that may be required. The data can alsobe used to improve the technique for gathering the data. For example,the data may be used to develop new fault codes recorded by the ELB 144which ultimately result in improved maintenance procedures. Similarly,the data transmitted to the operations center 46 from the on-boardsystems 50, and the related maintenance reports generated at theoperations center 46, may also be fed back to the materials and partsuppliers 36, who may advantageously use this information to improve thequality of the materials and parts they supply either to the customersor to the MROs 32, or to solve quality related problems. For example,the on-board data might be used by the suppliers to analyze why a partexhibits sensitivity to vibration.

Systems suitable for use in performing some of the functions discussedabove are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/360,295entitled “Vehicle Monitoring and Reporting System and Method”, by Basuet al, filed 07 Feb. 2003 and published 12 Aug. 2004 as US Patent No.2004/0158367; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/985,601 filed 10Nov. 2004 entitled “System, Method and Computer Program Product forFault Prediction in Vehicle Monitoring and Reporting System”, byMaggione et al [Attorney Docket No. 05-0919] as well as U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/884,553 filed 02 Jul. 2004 entitled: “VehicleHealth Management Systems and Methods [Attorney Docket No. 03-1292] aswell as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/360,295 entitled “AHM DataMonitoring Business Process”, filed 07 Feb. 2003 by Maggiore et al[Attorney Docket No. 02-1259], each of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIG. 11 shows the flow of a typical part in the IMMS system, and the useof RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to aid in tracking andidentifying parts. At 184, the manufacturer of the part entersinformation into a central common database 198 which includes the partnumber, serial number, mod status, effectively, etc. This information isprogrammed into an RFID tag which is attached to the part. The part isshipped from the OEM to the appropriate MRO and received for inspectionat 186. Upon receipt at receiving inspection, the RFID tag is read andthe information is automatically recorded into the database 198 toregister receipt of the part. When the part is received into inventoryat 188, the RFID tag is again read and the status/location of the partis recorded in the database 198. Other forms of readable identificationtags, labels or devices are possible.

When the part is removed from inventory and is ready to be installed at190, the MRO records installation of the part at 192 and this entry isrecorded in the database 198. Unserviceable parts are removed at 194 andreturned to inventory stores, where they are routed either to an MROshop or to the OEM for repair. As shown at 196, the unserviceable partis received, repaired and returned to inventory, and the associated RFIDtag is updated as required. Also, when the part is removed frominventory, the as-flying configuration records are updated in the MEMserver 108.

As previously described above, under the IMMS system, the airlineoperator customers purchase all line and base maintenance, allexpendable and rotable parts management, and receive guarantees ofminimum aircraft reliability and availability. The MROs perform all lineand base maintenance, provide tooling and facilities and shareperformance guarantees and incentives with the IMMS service provider.The part suppliers own, distribute, repair and overhaul their parts, andalso share guarantees and incentives with the MSP.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the MSP may charge the customers 30 for theIMMS or IMM services provided based on a charge per flight hour using avariety of criteria to establish the price charge. For example, theprice charge can be made to be dependent on the size of the customer'sfleet that is receiving service, aircraft utilization (cycles and lengthof flight), the number of destinations for the aircraft over a serviceperiod, the operating environment of the aircraft, the number andlocation of line and base maintenance stations, and other factors.Either flat or graduated rates, or both, may be used. The charge ratemay be adjusted based on performance agreements between the serviceprovider and the customer. For example, in the event that thereliability of an IMMS maintained aircraft falls below an agreed-onstandard, or is not available for at least a minimum length of timeduring a service period, the charge rate may be adjusted by an agreed-onamount to compensate the airline operator for the time the aircraft isout of service.

Charges and performance guarantees may be reconciled and adjustedperiodically, for example, monthly or quarterly. The MSP may charge thecustomer a minimum base fee if the total number of aircraft flight hoursis less than an agreed-on minimum level. The exact method and criteriafor establishing pricing will vary depending on the agreements betweenthe MSP, MROs 32, part suppliers 36 and the customers 30. Generallyhowever, the method for establishing pricing can be implemented usingone or more software-based algorithms using common techniques well knownby those skilled in the art.

Responsibility for guarantees given by the MSP to the customers may beshared with the MROs and the suppliers. For example, if the MSP fails tomeet the guarantee criteria promised to the customer due tosub-performance by an MRO 32, that MRO's portion of the revenue from thecustomer can be adjusted downwardly. Similarly, if the MSP fails to meetthe guarantee criteria due sub-performance by the parts supplier, theMSP may penalize the supplier.

Pricing to the customer may also be adjusted to reflect agreed-onperformance incentives given to the MSP which it may share with the MROs32 and part suppliers 36. For examples, the customer 30 and the MSP mayagree on an incentive arrangement where the customer 32 pays more thanthe normal charge rate, e.g. 105% of the normal rate, where the MSPexceeds the guarantee criteria by more than an agreed-on amount.

The revenues generated by the IMMS system may be shared with the MROs32, if desired, particularly for unscheduled line maintenance. The MROs'share of the revenue may be based on the number of departures, forexample, and factored by the MRO's dispatch reliability performance. NFF(no fault found) charges due to improper trouble shooting can be chargedback to the responsible MRO.

The calculations to determine reliability preferably distinguish betweenchargeable and non-chargeable events. Chargeable events are those causedby known or suspected malfunctions of the aircraft, its systems,components or processes/procedures used by the IMMS service provider, orthe MRO. Preferably, only chargeable events are counted in calculatingthe reliability rate. Non-chargeable events are those events that arebeyond the control of the IMMS service provider or the MRO.

Reference is now made concurrently to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 13, whichdepict details of the IMM system. FIG. 13 shows the relationship betweenthe airline operator customers 30, and an integrated network of partsand material suppliers 36 operating under the control of a parts networkmanager or integrator 94, which can be the MSP, previously described. Asused herein, “parts” and “materials” may be used interchangeably,although it should be noted that the term “materials” generally refersto consumable items in the aviation industry. The integrator 94 may be,for example, an aircraft manufacturer 34 which is also one of the partsuppliers 36, providing OEM parts to the customers 30, or to the MROs32. Use of an aircraft OEM as the network integrator 94 takes advantageof the OEM's existing infrastructure and logistics management systems.As previously discussed, IMM provides a common infrastructure withsuppliers, including an information architecture that permits thesharing of data between the integrator 94, suppliers 36 and customers30.

The IMM system leverages the ability of a single management entity toeffectively gather and disseminate data and information up and down theaviation services supply chain. By integrating and managing this supplychain using a single integrator 94, costs to the customer 30 can besignificantly reduced, and part delivery performance can be improved. Asignificant opportunity is created for cost and delivery performanceimprovement to the suppliers 36 through improved part demand informationfrom airline operations. Through aggregation and analysis, the suppliers36 receive significantly better information than they would otherwisereceive in a disaggregated supply chain. In effect, the IMM of thepresent invention provides the right parts and data, at the right place,at the right time, and at lower cost.

IMM effectively transitions responsibility for materials and partmanagement from the customers 30 to the IMM integrator 94. The IMMintegrator 94 is responsible for maintaining information relating to theinventories and material data, stocking locations, quantities in eachinventory, forecasting material requirement for each customer 30,planning and documenting material transactions. As previously described,the suppliers 36 retain ownership of the parts which the suppliers 36deploy directly to customer specified warehouses, which may be locatednear the customers 30, or near MROs 32. The customers 30 are responsiblefor maintaining the warehouses and physically controlling the partinventories. Certain functions of the IMM are located on-site 202 (FIG.13) at the customer's (or MRO's) location, including a local IMM siteserver 102 and related customer interface terminal (not shown) which arenetworked with the central MEM server 108 (FIG. 6). The local siteserver and customer terminal allow the customer 30 to plan inventories,interface with maintenance operations at the operations center 102 andinterface with global operations and suppliers 36.

Central management of the aggregated supply chain by the IMM integrator94 results in the integration of processes as well as information,allowing coordinated responses to customer requirements. Networkinventory is optimized by the IMM integrator 94. Supply and demandinformation is shared in the supply chain network, and componentinformation is captured and shared. The integration and management ofthe supply chain provides the IMM integrator 94 with sufficient controlto enable it to provide certain guaranteed service levels to thecustomer 30. For example, the IMM integrator 94 may guarantee thecustomer 20 that quantities of parts will be maintained in inventorysufficient to meet the customer's service level requirements, withpenalties to the IMM integrator 94 if the guaranteed service level isnot met.

The scope of the materials included in the IMM system may extend torotable, repairable and expendable parts and materials. A variety ofplans for charging the customers 30 for parts may be followed. Forexample, rotable and repairable service can be charged on $/flight hourbasis, where offered by the suppliers, to support line or basemaintenance. The $/flight hour can be adjusted for aircraft utilization(range/cycles/hours), operating environment, or geography. The customermay be given the option to be charged a flat or a graduated rate. In theevent that the suppliers do not offer rotable/repairables services on a$/flight hour basis, the IMM integrator 94 may provide these parts on aper-repair basis. Expendables can be charged on a per-transaction basis,i.e., as they are used by a customer 30. Support for incident repairscan be provided on a time and materials cost basis. In one businessmodel, the IMM system excludes: engines (except engine buildupcomponents), system and process functionality associated with warehousemanagement and receiving, performance of warehouse management andreceiving, consumables (shop supplies), tools, and ground supportequipment.

The ability of the customers 30 to plan and manage aircraft maintenance,and troubleshoot parts and materials issues is enhanced in the IMMsystem when the customer also utilizes the MPT 150 previously describedwith reference to FIG. 7. The MPT 150 is a navigational tool comprisingan integrated suite of applications that increase productivity andperformance of maintenance related tasks. Active links within 2D and 3Dsystem diagrams and structural models take the customer directly to theinformation it needs to assist with maintenance issues, including partsand other materials. The MPT 150 is an integrated set of productivitytools that unifies maintenance activities with access provided totechnical publications, training, maintenance, and engineeringinformation. The customer's technical publications department may usethe MPT 150 to create customized airline documents, modify originalequipment manufacturer manuals, and create task cards.

The MPT 150 uses 3D airframe models and schematics of aircraft systemsas “graphical” tables of content that enable point-and-click access toall of the information related to a specific aircraft location orcomponent. Advanced data mining techniques and search capabilities areused by the MPT 150 to collect all relevant information (e.g. fault codelookup, repair history, maintenance procedures, part numbers,maintenance tasks) into the troubleshooting process. The MPT 150automates the workflow required to review and approve documentationrevisions and changes, while providing real-time editing tools thatallow the customer to create and add their own documentation and notes.

The MPT 150 gives maintenance personnel such as mechanics, fast andefficient access to technical information. Embedded support toolsfacilitate various everyday tasks, including Service Bulletinevaluation. The MPT 150 provides a collaborative workspace and reuse ofsuccessful engineering solutions that reduce maintenance operationscosts. The intuitive navigation techniques used by the MPT 150 help theuser construct a mental image of the solution and takes the userdirectly to the applicable information. Real-time information updatesensure that the customer has access to the most current technicalinformation. The MPT 150 is hosted at the operation center 46, and isavailable to the customers 30 globally, 24 hours a day.

The MPT 150 is useful in assisting the customers to manage parts andmaterials. The real-time aircraft data derived from the ELB 112, AHM 136and stored as-flying configuration information can be used to determinepossible part or system failures. This information can also be used toactively manage part tasks passed on to suppliers through MPT 150. Thecustomers 30 can be charged a fee to use access and use the MPT 150 whenparticipating in the IMM system, which may be the same as or differentthan the fee that the customers 30 would pay if they are notparticipating in IMM. Customer access to the MPT 150 can be included inthe fees paid by the customer for IMM. For example, a fee for providingthe customer with access to MPT 150 can be included in the $/flight hourcharge to the customer for rotable and repairable service, in support ofline or base maintenance. Alternatively, the fee for the MPT 150 canalso be included in the flat charge or graduated rate for the IMMservice.

The MPT 150 can also be advantageously used in combination with the IMMSpreviously described to further increase efficiencies, and reduce thecost of providing turnkey integrated maintenance and materials serviceto the customer. The MPT 150 is a valuable tool that allows the MRO orother service organization to actively manage the customer's maintenanceprograms. The cost of the MPT 150 can be priced into the rates chargedby the MSP or integrator to the customer for the IMMS. The improvedmaintenance management efficiencies may act as an incentive for thecustomer subscribe for the IMMS plan. Additional details of the MPT 150are disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0187823A1 published Oct. 2, 2003, and US Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0177540 A1, published Aug. 11, 2005, the entire contents of both ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein.

As previously described, the centralized maintenance informationtechnology system 160 (FIGS. 9 and 10) allows a variety of reports to begenerated that are useful in planning and executing maintenance tasks,and predicting future aircraft health. The reliability analysis data 164and the related reliability reports 176 can be advantageously used toestablish benchmarks for managing the IMMS and IMM programs previouslydescribed. For example, the data collected from the on-board systems 50can be converted to reliability information that establishes thereliability of each aircraft. This information is based on data from theon-board systems 50 comprising the aircraft flight hours, utilizationand health of the on-board systems. including recorded faults. Thereliability information can be used to assess the effectiveness of themaintenance service and parts provided under IMMS or IMM, both forindividual aircraft and for the fleet. Using the reliability informationfor the individual aircraft, benchmarks may be established for theentire fleet, and these benchmarks may then be used to determine toassess reliability over time.

The benchmarks for fleet reliability can be used to determine whetherguarantees by the integrator to the customer of reliability oravailability have been met. Similarly, the benchmarks can be used todetermine whether fleet reliability has exceed certain incentivecriteria which entitle the integrator to certain benefits promised bythe customer. As previously discussed, the fees the integrator chargesthe customer for the maintenance service and the parts can be adjustedupwardly or downwardly from a base rate, depending on whether or not thebenchmarks established for reliability or availability have been met orexceeded.

Although this invention has been described with respect to certainexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the specificembodiments are for purposes of illustration and not limitation, asother variations will occur to those of skill in the art. For example,while the preferred embodiment has been described in connection with itsapplication to aircraft fleets, the invention can also be used with andsuccessfully applied to other types of vehicles and vessels.

1. A method of managing maintenance of fleet aircraft for multiplecustomers, comprising the steps of: (A) collecting data from aircraft ineach of the fleets related to the operation of the aircraft; (B)transmitting the data from each aircraft to an operations center; (C)converting the data into maintenance information useful in managingmaintenance for the aircraft; and, (D) planning and schedulingmaintenance for the aircraft in the fleets from the operations centerusing the maintenance information.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of: (E) managing a plurality of aircraft maintenanceproviders from the operations center, based on the maintenance plannedand scheduled in step (D).
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (E)includes: managing maintenance, repair and overhaul operators (MROs),and managing aircraft part suppliers.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinstep (E) includes issuing requests from the operations center to thepart suppliers for delivery of parts to the MROs.
 5. The method of claim2, wherein step (E) includes managing a parts supply chain providingparts used in the maintenance of the aircraft.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the data includes: on-board aircraft faults, the number ofaircraft flight hours, and the number of aircraft flight cycles.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the data includes the current flightconfiguration of the aircraft.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein step(B) is performed using wireless communications.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising the steps of: (E) storing the data and themaintenance information in a plurality of computer-based servers; (F)placing the servers in a common data communications network; and, (G)providing aircraft maintenance providers with access to the network. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein step (D) includes planning and schedulingline and base maintenance for the aircraft.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising the steps of: (E) providing maintenance services foreach aircraft; and, (F) charging each of the customers a fee for themaintenance services provided in step (E) based on the number of flighthours each aircraft in the customer's fleet is in service the during thetime interval that the maintenance services are provided.
 12. The methodof claim 11, wherein the fee charged in step (F) is adjusted based oncriteria related to the performance of the aircraft during the timeinterval.
 13. A method of managing maintenance of fleet vehicles formultiple customers, comprising the steps of: (A) collecting data relatedto the operation of the vehicles; (B) converting the data collected instep (A) into maintenance information useful in managing maintenance forthe vehicles; (C) accessing the maintenance information at a centraloperations center; and, (D) managing a plurality of vehicle maintenanceproviders from the operations center using the maintenance informationaccessed in step (C).
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (A)includes: wirelessly transmitting the data from the vehicles to thecentral operations center, and storing the data at the centraloperations center.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising thesteps of: (E) storing the maintenance information in a computer basedserver; (F) connecting the maintenance providers in a datacommunications network with the central operations center and thecomputer-based sever; and (G) sending maintenance requests to themaintenance providers through network.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the maintenance information includes information related tospare part inventories.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the dataincludes: on-board vehicle faults, the number of vehicle operatinghours, and the number of vehicle operating cycles.
 18. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the vehicles are aircraft and step (D) includes:managing maintenance, repair and overhaul service organizations (MROs)at a plurality of locations, and coordinating the delivery of parts frompart suppliers to the MROs.
 19. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising the step of planning and scheduling maintenance for each ofthe vehicles, and wherein step (D) includes sending maintenancescheduling requests from the operations center to the maintenanceproviders.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein step (D) includes issuingrequests from the operations center to part suppliers for delivery ofparts to the maintenance service providers.
 21. The method of claim 13,further comprising the step of furnishing each customer with a guaranteethat the vehicles provided with maintenance using the maintenanceproviders managed in step (D) will demonstrate a preselected level ofperformance reliability during the time interval.
 22. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the vehicles are aircraft, and the method furthercomprises the steps of: (E) contracting with geographically distributedmaintenance, repair and overhaul service organizations (MROS) to providemaintenance, repair and overhaul services required by customer'saircraft, (F) contracting with part suppliers to provide directly to theMROs, the parts required for maintenance, repair and overhaul of thecustomer's aircraft.
 23. A method of centrally managing the maintenanceof commercial fleet aircraft for customers, comprising the steps of: (A)contracting with a plurality of maintenance, repair and overhaulorganizations (MROs) to provide maintenance service for the aircraft;(B) contracting with a plurality of part suppliers to provide partsrequired for supporting the maintenance provided by the MROs; (C)collecting and storing maintenance information useful in managing themaintenance; (D) accessing the maintenance information at a centraloperations center; and, (E) managing the MROs and the part suppliersfrom the central operations center using the information accessed instep (D).
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:(F) collecting data from each of the aircraft relating the operation ofthe aircraft; (G) converting the data into the maintenance information.25. The method of claim 24, wherein the data includes: on-board aircraftfaults, the number of aircraft flight hours, and the number of aircraftflight cycles.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein step (E) includesissuing directives from the operations center to the part suppliersdirecting the parts suppliers to deliver parts to the MROs.
 27. Themethod of claim 23, wherein step (E) includes: remotely managing fromthe operations center, an inventory of parts located at customermaintenance sites, recording when the customer removes a part from theinventory, and charging the customer for a part when the part removal isrecorded.
 28. The method of claim 23, wherein the maintenanceinformation includes the current flying configuration of each of theaircraft.
 29. The method of claim 23, wherein the maintenanceinformation includes: aircraft reliability analysis, maintenanceplanning, execution of maintenance at line and base stations, andmaintenance control.
 30. The method of claim 23, further comprising thesteps of: (F) providing the customer with a guarantee of an agree-onlevel of aircraft performance resulting from the maintenance provided bythe MROs; and, (G) sharing the responsibility for the guarantee betweenthe central operations center and the MROs.
 31. The method of claim 23,further comprising the steps of: (F) interconnecting the centraloperations center, the MROs and the part suppliers through a common datacommunications network; and, (G) providing the MROs and the partsuppliers with access to the stored maintenance information through thenetwork.
 32. A system for managing maintenance of commercial aircraftfleets, comprising: an on-board aircraft system for collecting datarelating to the operational status of the aircraft and wirelesslytransmitting the data to the ground; a central operations center forreceiving and converting the data into information useful for managingthe maintenance of the aircraft, and for managing each of a plurality ofmaintenance service providers; and, a shared communications networkconnecting the operations center with the customers and the maintenanceservice providers.
 33. The system of claim 32, wherein the operationscenter includes a computer-based server system for storing theinformation and providing the customers and the maintenance serviceproviders with access to the stored information.
 34. The system of claim33, wherein the server system is programmed to plan and schedulemaintenance for the aircraft, and communicate the planned maintenanceschedule to the maintenance service providers.
 35. The system of claim32, wherein the data includes recorded on-board aircraft system faults,the maintenance history of the aircraft and the number of flight hoursand cycles of the aircraft.
 36. The system of claim 32, wherein theoperations center includes a first computer-based server for managingmaintenance parts for the aircraft, and the system further comprises asecond computer-based server coupled with the first server through theshared network and located at a maintenance parts suppliers site. 37.The system of claim 32, wherein the shared network includes an Internetportal providing access to a website hosted by the central operationscenter.